The Knicks will likely be without one of their key reserves for Game 4 of their second-round playoff series against Miami. Immanuel Quickley is listed as doubtful to play on Monday due to a sprained left ankle, the team’s PR department tweets.
Quickley suffered the injury in Game 3 on Saturday, when he scored 12 points in 20 minutes. He’s averaged 9.0 points during the postseason, though he’s struggled with his shooting (34.8%).
We have more on the Knicks:
- Trailing 2-1 in the series, the team needs Julius Randle to break out of his postseason funk, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. He was limited to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting and committed four turnovers in Game 3. Overall, he’s averaging just 15.3 points on 34.6% shooting this postseason. “Some of the looks are different. Defense is a little bit tighter,” Randle said. “So I’ve got to do a better job of finding ways to execute off of that.”
- Randle’s struggles are far from the only issues the Knicks have encountered against the Heat, Fred Katz of The Athletic opines. Their perimeter shooting and offensive spacing have been subpar, they’re getting out-hustled and they’re not dominating the glass, as they did in the first round against Cleveland.
- Unless they find a way to counteract Jimmy Butler, the Knicks are doomed, Tom D’Angeleo of the Palm Beach Post opines. Butler returned from a one-game absence to score 28 points in 36 minutes.
Beat the young inexperienced Cavs by hard work and hustle and getting the same treatment themselves from the more experienced Heat.
Jimmy Butler is just a different beast in the playoffs and there’s not much you can do about that. They breezed past the Bucks who had Jrue Holiday and Kris Middleton. Just like Bron used to do with the Cavs, do what’s necessary in the regular season then flip a switch and play at an elite level for the playoffs.
With Quickly out, bringing a guy like Evan Fouriner off the bench might not be a bad idea. Got the experience, stepped up for France numerous times and could come in clutch.
I’d possibly consider starting Toppin and having Randle come off the bench too. He’s really struggled this series in particular and Toppin was alright in his start. If you can have Randle coming on against a more tired Bam or Kevin Love then he might provide more
Yes, The Knicks are desperate for shooting, bring in Fournier… If Thibs is such a good defensive coach, he should be able to bring in Fournier and play good team defense with the right group of players.. SPO brings Duncan Robinson out, not good D, but relies on team D… Fournier could be X factor who could explode for 15 to 20 points off the bench…
This is too intelligent of a strategy for Thibs to do.
Even if the Knicks lose this series, they have still progressed. They beat a better team in the first round, and now they would be going out to a team who recently reached the NBA Finals. Very few teams go from missing the playoffs one year to serious contender the next, so getting through the first round for the first time in a decade is still a win.
The team is close enough now to finally use their draft capital and youth to deal for that player that can bring them over the top. Which of us fans thought we would be saying that three years ago.
Still took a long way around to get there with the asset management. They did eventually end up with Josh Hart, who I thought they should have gone after multiple times the last 3 years, and now I think they’re short either 1 more 3 and D wing, or maybe a spacer at the 4 that can adequately defend.
I still would have liked to have seen what their young guards could have done this year, and used their money elsewhere, but Brunson was still always a strong fit around Barrett and Randle; it’s just I didn’t think they necessarily needed that if they added the other pieces and trusted their young guards. I think Grimes is better than Herro, personally, and Quickley as a secondary or third playmaker/as an elite catch and shoot guy/semi inconsistent adequate defender, and McBride also as a good catch and shoot guy and strong defender, were all really strong fits with what they had, plus adding at the previously mentioned positions.
Again though, they ended up making a bunch of trades and spending a bunch of more money, and leaving their young guards with a lesser role, but they did get to a team that fits well together, and just needs to be played the right way in certain matchups, but also could use maybe 1ish more piece, like a lot of teams
The Knicks aren’t a “serious contender”
Knicks are getting out worked. Nice way of saying punked. Thibs getting outcoached.
Knicks are playing right into Heats hands with that iso ball. You can’t go iso against a zone. Heat are playing matchup zone. Move the ball or shoot better. And I don’t mean throw up threes. And please ……. get some motion on your offense.
NYK won’t be able to counteract Butler. Nobody can guard a superstar like Bulter in the playoffs, if only because the officiating won’t permit it. He’s hunting and finding fouls, and that’s going to get worse. He’ll average 15 FTs a game the rest of the series.
So, we have to defend the rest of the team, and socre with much more efficiency. It starts with Brunson, who’s not right. He can’t drive by anyone at this point. I’d convert him into a shooter/scorer, off the ball (his shot looks OK). It would mean IQ (apparently not) or McBride (or even Hart) at the point. Grimes, unless his shoulder is really bad, needs to start and play 30 minutes (he’s our only 3 pt shooting wing player, and our best spacer). Even if he can’t shoot well, he’s the only wing the other team closes out on. Barrett and Hart are just given wide open 3 pt shots.
I have no idea what to do with Randle. We need him to win the series, but once we conclude that’s not happening, he should sit. He has brain lock, and can be slow to react, when he’s healthy. The combination of his BB IQ and an injury that slows him, is hard to watch. I have no confidence in Toppin to step up, but he’s all with got if Randle sits.
As a Heat fan, please keep using Mitchell Robinson. Please dont use Randle/Toppin at the 5 against us. Please dont notice how that effects the spacing and has been a significant contributor to your shooting issues. Please keep letting the Heat get away with playing Cody Zeller for 9-12 minutes in this matchup
Obviously, now not having Quickley hurts them in that catch and shoot department, but they still have enough, in my opinion, and should still have some matchup advantages with certain lineups we havent seen much of at all in this series
Over the past 2 games, Mitch’s line is:
Game 2: 21 minutes, plus/minus = +4.
Game 3: 14 minutes, plus/minus = -4.
Overall team through both games: – 13.
So, obviously, Mitch isn’t hurting the team’s performance overall, unless he’s doing it with voodoo from the bench (he is from Nawlins).
Randle, since Thibs got here, plays C only selectively. It’s a desperate, not a good, sign when he does. BTW, he has been used at C in this series, and its likely on deck for more.
Toppin has NEVER played C for either the Knicks or, when I’ve watched, at Dayton. He’s a finesse player that avoids contact. He’s unsuited to be only big on the floor. Toppin, btw, has been a -18 over the past two games.
Fournier’s hasn’t played much at all since the early part of the season. He has looked horrible when he has. He was a 30% 3 pt shooter this year when he did see regular minutes. Yet, you’d bring him off the bench after all this time and give a critical role on the oft chance he might find his stroke?
It’s almost always fools gold to fundamentally change how you play when you get to the playoffs, or at all based strictly on what the other team is doing. That’s how sayings like “dance with who brought you” come about.
I vehemently disagree with all of this, but it’s your opinion. I would still use Mitchell Robinson for 6.5 minutes in certain lineups, but in general, I’m not a fan of him in this matchup. Lineups where there wasnt another big on the floor with him did better, obviously, but in general, the Knicks floor is way more open with the other 3 bigs. I think you also fall into the same thing a lot of these people do when I mention rotations, and just assume that a guy starting will play 35+ minutes, which isnt the case
Also, not everything is in a vaccum. Adjustments and different ways to win are significantly important in this league, and the teams that win do those things. If you’re saying the Knicks are incapable of doing so, they’re never going to win anything
Not really. Teams that win (championships anyway) pretty much go with a core of 7-8 guys throughout the playoffs, with only minor deviations in minutes. Might be a few exceptions, but I can’t think of any where a team completely changes its identity bringing in new guys who haven’t played mid-series, unless there’s an injury or the like. IMO, it’s the “online” basketball community (not actual basketball people) that is obsessed with making structural adjustments to a team’s rotation as if it were as simple as pushing a few keystrokes.
FWIW, I would never have interjected if you merely said you think Mitch creates a matchup problem and should be benched. You said, in effect, that he HAS actually been hurting us. He hasn’t been, as the numbers indicate. Maybe he will starting hurting us tonight.
I think you’ve been able to get away with it b/c of things the Heat are also doing that they shouldnt be doing, but it still is effecting them b/c of the spacing issues we’ve been talking about
There are many examples in the rotation thing with GS, Toronto, Phoenix, Milwaukee, the Lakers, the Heat, Boston…matchups matter most in the playoffs
Brunson, Fournier, Hart, Barrett, Randle
Grimes, Toppin, Jeffries, Hartenstein
(This obviously assuming Quickley is out)
The other idea would be to start Grimes, and use Derrick Rose as a scorer off the bench, but I think this gives balance on the floor, and spacing, and also actually addresses some of the Heat’s issues.
Heat cant guard lineups with Randle or Toppin at the 5, and even in the Hartenstein lineups, and Fournier historically has been a Heat killer. The Heat dont have quicker attackers either, so you dont have to worry about that defensively, with Fournier, in my opinion
Another idea would be to simply replace Mitchell Robinson with Hartenstein, but I just dont see them doing that before the other 2 options, or even just staying the way they have been. I expect to hear all the reasons I’m wrong, but regardless of all of that, ultimately, the issue we’re talking about with Randle and the Knicks is related to their spacing, and those are things that would address that
There’s a zero percent chance that Jeffries sees any action. He’s yet to play a minute for the Knicks and has played only 9 minutes in the last two seasons. It’ll be Miles McBride. I also severely doubt that Rose plays aside from a blowout. He’s played in 5 minutes (literally) since January 1st and has not looked good. Fournier might play a few minutes if Thibs really wants to shake things up, but I wouldn’t bet on it. He’s looked rusty/bad in limited action this year.
In your lineups, you left out Mitchell Robinson. I think Thibs will keep rolling with Brunson, Hart, Barrett, Randle, and Mitch. 2nd unit McBride, Grimes, Toppin, Hartenstein. Nine man rotation. Jeffries and Rose will be bolted to the bench with maybe a little Fournier action. For better or worse, I don’t think Thibs will make any significant changes.
If it were me, Mitchrll rob9nson wouldnt play more than 6.5 minutes in this matchup, as long as the Heat stay with what they’re doing